Embattled actor Ezra Miller will be making a public appearance this month in support of The Flash. Though Miller is the star of the superhero movie, the actor has not been taking part in any of the press coverage. That was expected, as there has been a lot of controversy attached to Miller over the past year due to the various criminal charges and serious allegations made against them (Miller uses they/them pronouns). Last summer, Miller announced that they had sought professional help for their mental health struggles. The director and producers of The Flash have stood by Miller throughout the ordeal.
Though Miller has kept a very low profile since making that announcement, Variety reports that the actor will be in attendance at the Los Angeles premiere of The Flash on June 12. But while they’ll be on the red carpet to pose for photos, Miller won’t be participating in any interviews with press at the event. Michael Keaton, who co-stars in the film alongside Miller, won’t be attending as he is currently working on a project in London. Director Andy Muschietti will be present alongside The Flash stars Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, and Ben Affleck.
While very unusual for a tentpole movie’s lead star to skip the promotional blitz leading up to release, it was certainly no surprise in this case, given the controversy and Miller’s continued mental health treatment. Some may be more surprised to learn that Miller will still be making an appearance at the L.A. premiere. It was explained that Miller wanted to avoid doing interviews as that may take the focus away from the movie itself.
“Ezra wants the movie to open and the conversation to be about the movie and not about Ezra,” Variety quotes a source close to Miller as saying. “They are focused on their mental health and don’t want it to be transactional.”
The Flash Might Get a Sequel
The film is tracking to be a huge success at the box office, and if that holds out, it would seem that the controversy attached to Miller isn’t enough to derail The Flash. While there are still people out there swearing off the film due to Miller’s involvement, there’s a good chance that a sequel could happen if the movie is as much of a blockbuster as expected. There’s even a finished screenplay that’s ready to go, and Muschietti has promised that Barry Allen will not be recast if a sequel gets greenlit by the studio.
“I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did,” Muschietti recently explained on The Discourse podcast. “The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it. And, as you said, the two Barrys – it feels like a character that was made for them.”
The Flash hits movie theaters on June 16, 2023.
